Uhuru chairs Jubilee PG for revamp meet at State House
President Uhuru Kenyatta will today chair a Jubilee Party’s Parliamentary Group (PG) meeting at State House, Nairobi, to plan for the party’s forthcoming National Delegates Conference where he is likely to endorse ODM leader Raila Odinga as his preferred successor and revamp the party ahead of the elections.
The meeting comes as Raila takes a break from his Azimio La Umoja countrywide campaigns for the next 10 days to travel, first to Ethiopia to attend the 35th African Union Heads of States summit in his capacity as the AU Special Envoy on Infrastructure, and onwards to New Delhi, India, for an unspecified mission.
The Azimio campaign programme will, however, continue under the leadership of the ODM deputy party leader Wycliffe Oparanya and other governors and Cabinet Secretaries.
Today’s PG meeting, People Daily learnt, will draw a schedule for the party’s NDC, planned for January 25 and 26 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).
The President will use the NDC to explain his reasons for backing Raila’s candidature in the August 9 General Election and unveil his planned tours of Mount Kenya region to rally support for the veteran opposition leader.
“Good afternoon Mheshimiwa, I wish to invite you to a Jubilee Party consultative meeting, with our Party Leader HE Uhuru Kenyatta, at State House Nairobi, tomorrow, Friday February 4, 2022, at 9am. Kindly confirm your availability now.
Thank you,” read a text message from Leader of Majority in the National Assembly Amos Kimunya. Apart from members of the National Assembly, also invited are governors and senators of the party.
Planned NDC
Jubilee Coalition Joint Parliamentary Group Secretary Adan Keynan said the patience of members who might have been disappointed by the earlier postponement of the NDC had finally paid off.
“We are going to rejuvenate, rebrand and reorganise our party in a manner never see before. Watch this space,” he said.
Adding: “I have no doubt in my mind that in the two days we will clear all pending matters, including ratification of critical decisions from all internal party organs.”
Contacted, Kimunya said: “It’s the President who has called for the meeting, I do not know the agenda of the meeting but it will be disclosed tomorrow.”
Kieni MP and ardent Azimio La Umoja lieutenant Kanini Kega said the meeting has been long overdue.
“The President, who is our party leader, has called us for a strategy meeting to discuss, among other things, our upcoming National Delegates Convention and his planned tours of Mt Kenya,” Kanini told People Daily yesterday.
He went on: “Of course, this meeting will be providing a road map for our Jubilee Party and the party leader will be providing guidance on us joining Azimo La Umoja movement.
“This meeting is exclusively for Jubilee Party members and not Tanga Tanga who are now allied to United Democratic Alliance (UDA). They are not welcome at State House.”
Tanga Tanga refers to a group of MPs supporting Deputy President William Ruto who are now working under the UDA umbrella. Uhuru is later expected to meet a section of political leaders and opinion leaders from Mt Kenya region.
Traverse region
Sources at State House disclosed that the President is determined to traverse the length and breadth of the mountain region with a view to reversing inroads made by his estranged deputy in the last couple of years.
The President, sources said, would engage the MPs on the tour’s programme and issues to be addressed in the various parts of the vote-rich region.
We also established that all the parties allied to the Azimio La Umoja movement backing Raila’s candidature plan to hold their respective NDCs simultaneously to ratify their support for the ODM leader in the coming elections.
The parties include the recently formed Democratic Alliance Party (DAP) associated with Defence Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa, Narc under Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu, Maendeleo Chap Chap headed by Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua, Muungano Party of Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana and Pamoja African Allliance (PAA) led by Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi. During the NDCs, all the Azimio-friendly parties are expected to endorse Raila’s candidature.
A notice issued by Jubilee Party secretary general Raphael Tuju last evening listed the NDC’s agenda as including to “review, formulate and/or ratify proposed changes to Jubilee Party policies, amend, review and/or ratify proposed changes to Jubilee Party constitution to comply with current electoral laws and approve the proposed new seal, symbol and flag of the party.
Cherang’any MP Joshua Kuttuny and fierce critic of the Deputy President said he is among the MPs who have been invited to the Parliamentary Group meeting at State House.
“Yes, the meeting is on and as a loyal member of the party, I will attend,” said Kuttuny without disclosing the agenda of the meeting.
He, however, did not hide the prospect of party nominations in the coming election likely to be an agenda item during the PG. The Cherang’any lawmaker did not, however, confirm whether MPs allied to UDA are among those invited.
“I may not tell whether they have been invited. That can only be disclosed by the SG. But in any case, it will not be of use for them to attend because they have been abusing the President in their public rallies and no longer ascribe to the Jubilee agenda,” said Kuttuny.
Eldama Ravine MP Moses Lessonet, an ally of the DP, said he had not been invited to the meeting.
“I am not even aware that the Jubilee Party has called a meeting. It must be a very small gathering, it must be the Azimio La Umoja movement.
It must be a meeting for those guys who are leaning towards this thing we call Azimio La Umoja. Okay, I don’t think it’s a Jubilee meeting,” said Lessonet.
